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Latest Survey Show Tiger Numbers in Russia Stable

Posted on: Friday, 17 June 2005, 06:00 CDT

WASHINGTON, June 17 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Tiger numbers in Russia are stable, according to the results of a comprehensive survey conducted this winter. While stressing that results are preliminary, tiger conservationists around the world say the news is welcome relief, as many thought the numbers had declined.

After massive endeavors to determine distribution and abundance of tigers in the Russian Far East, the last stronghold of the Amur - or Siberian - tigers, researchers report that between 334-417 adult tigers remain in the region, along with 97- 112 cubs.

To determine numbers of tigers in this remote, densely forested land, researchers sent out nearly one thousand fieldworkers to canvass the entire region where tigers are believed to live. Some of them spent months in the field and covered over 13,000 miles of snowy transects by foot, ski, snowmobile, and car. Though wary of people, and seldom seen, tigers nonetheless leave evidence of their presence with their massive footprints in the snow. A total of 4,100 tracks were recorded. Researchers mapped out the location of all these tracks, and then estimated a minimum number of tigers, based on their size and distribution.

"This tiger survey represents a milestone in cooperative, international conservation efforts, with full political support from both regional and national governmental bodies of the Russian Federation, as well as financial and technical support from the international conservation community," said Dale Miquelle, Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) Russia Program, and overall coordinator for the project.

The project was funded not only by Russia's Ministry of Natural Resources, but by a host of international organizations, led by Save- the-Tiger Fund, the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund (both from the US), Britain's 21st Century Tiger, and World Wildlife Fund.

The last winter survey was conducted in 1996, and reported 330- 371 adult tigers, with 85-105 cubs. "The difference in results between 1996 and this survey is not due to a change in numbers, but simply reflects the additional effort we made to survey the entirety of tiger range," said Dimitri Pikunov, coordinator of the survey in Primorye, and a well-known tiger specialist. "Coordinators agree that this survey represents the most extensive effort to date to count tigers in Russia."

"These results are a tribute to the hard work and dedication of conservation organizations and government officials in Russia," said Sybille Klenzendorf, Senior Program Officer for Species Conservation. "Despite massive poaching pressures in the 1990s, we have been able to turn back the tide, and retain this tiger population."

"Russia is a bright spot in the conservation of tigers in Asia, and is proof of our belief that a few dedicated individuals, with sufficient motivation and adequate support, can make a difference in the world," said John Seidensticker, of the Save-the-Tiger Fund, a partnership between Exxon Mobil, U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.

Coordinators of the survey effort gathered in Vladivostok today to present their results, but emphasized that numbers are still preliminary. Still to come will be an assessment of the prey species tigers are dependent on, and a more rigorous analysis of tiger distribution and abundance.

"Over the next few months, we will be completing the geographic database to ensure these data are preserved, and then we will begin a more intensive analysis of the data," added Miquelle. "Results may change slightly, but we think it's safe to say that the population appears stable."

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Known in the United States as World Wildlife Fund and recognized worldwide by its panda logo, WWF leads international efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats and to conserve the diversity of life on Earth. Now in its fifth decade, WWF, the global conservation organization, works in more than 100 countries around the world.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Sponsors of the 2005 Winter Survey of Amur Tigers:

Ministry of Natural Resources, Russian Federation

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Save-the-Tiger Fund, sponsored by Exxon-Mobil

21st Century Tiger

World Wildlife Fund

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Rhinoceros Tiger Conservation Fund

Wildlife Conservation Society

Amur

Participants in the Winter Survey of Amur Tigers:

Ministry of Natural Resources, Russian Federation

The Main Authority of Natural Resources Supervision

Authority of Natural Resources Supervision in Primorskii krai

Authority of Natural Resources Supervision in Khabarovskii krai

Inspection Tiger

Khabarovsk Krai Government

Primorski Krai Administration

Khabarovski Krai OkhotNazor

Primorski Krai OkhotNazor

VINNIOZ - All Russia Institute for Wildlife Management

Institute of Geography, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Institute of Biology and Soils, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Kedrovya Pad Zapovednik

Ussuriski Zapovednik

Lazovski Zapovednik

Sikhote-Alin Zapovednik

Bolshe-Khekhtsirski Zapovednik

Botchinski Zapovednik

World Wildlife Fund

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)

There are eight recognized subspecies of tigers in the world: the Amur, Bengal, Indochinese, Sumatran, and South China, are still existent, but the Caspian, Javan, and Bali subspecies have all gone extinct. The South China tiger has not been reported in the wild for at least 10 years, but Chinese researchers are hopeful a few may still remain in the wild. Of the remaining four, the Amur tiger is considered the rarest. However, the Amur tiger exists mostly as a single, continuous population, inhabiting the forests of the Sikhote- Alin Mountain Range, which extend from Vladivostok north for nearly 625 miles. Surveys led by the Wildlife Conservation Society have determined that there are a few Amur tigers still surviving on the Chinese side of the Sino-Russian border.

http://www.usnewswire.com

Source: U.S. Newswire

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